It's National Flood Safety Awareness Week, and emergency officials said there is no better time to make sure you and your family are prepared for a flood or any other kind of natural disaster.Download the WBAL app.This is definitely true in Maryland, a state where the weather can run the gamut. The state has experienced everything from a hurricane and flooding to a blizzard, tornado and even an earthquake."We get everything from extreme heat to extreme cold to floods to hurricanes and tornadoes," fire director Jay Ringgold, of the Baltimore County Fire Department, said. "We are susceptible to it all so at all times you must be prepared and pretty much throughout the whole year."Ringgold said that in any kind of disaster your utilities can be knocked out or you can be cut off from normal sources of help indefinitely."We're fortunate if you pick up the phone on a normal day and call 911 you're going to get all the resources you need," Ringgold said. "But during a major disaster we're not going to be able to get to you right away so that's why it's really important to be prepared and self-sufficient."So how do you do that?First, Ringgold recommends checking to make sure you have flood insurance since most normal policies don't include it. Second, make sure you have an emergency plan, including where to go if you need to evacuate. And it is always important to keep an emergency kit in your home."You want to have food, medicine, personal information, cash, things like that, your insurance information, all those things," Ringgold said. "You want to be prepared to be self-sufficient at least three days. We recommend being prepared for seven days."And if you need some more guidance, Baltimore County offers a Neighbors Helping Neighbors program in different communities across the county."It's a disaster preparedness program that teaches you how to be prepared for a disaster," Ringgold said of the program. "(It teaches you) crime prevention and awareness, fire safety and extinguishers and first aid (and) CPR. It's a free program."For more information on how to prepare for a disaster, tap here.

BALTIMORE —

It's National Flood Safety Awareness Week, and emergency officials said there is no better time to make sure you and your family are prepared for a flood or any other kind of natural disaster.

This is definitely true in Maryland, a state where the weather can run the gamut. The state has experienced everything from a hurricane and flooding to a blizzard, tornado and even an earthquake.

"We get everything from extreme heat to extreme cold to floods to hurricanes and tornadoes," fire director Jay Ringgold, of the Baltimore County Fire Department, said. "We are susceptible to it all so at all times you must be prepared and pretty much throughout the whole year."

Ringgold said that in any kind of disaster your utilities can be knocked out or you can be cut off from normal sources of help indefinitely.

"We're fortunate if you pick up the phone on a normal day and call 911 you're going to get all the resources you need," Ringgold said. "But during a major disaster we're not going to be able to get to you right away so that's why it's really important to be prepared and self-sufficient."

So how do you do that?

First, Ringgold recommends checking to make sure you have flood insurance since most normal policies don't include it. Second, make sure you have an emergency plan, including where to go if you need to evacuate. And it is always important to keep an emergency kit in your home.

"You want to have food, medicine, personal information, cash, things like that, your insurance information, all those things," Ringgold said. "You want to be prepared to be self-sufficient at least three days. We recommend being prepared for seven days."

"It's a disaster preparedness program that teaches you how to be prepared for a disaster," Ringgold said of the program. "(It teaches you) crime prevention and awareness, fire safety and extinguishers and first aid (and) CPR. It's a free program."